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The American Revolutionary War refers to the conflict between Great Britain and the colonist, which led to the independence of the United States. Noteworthy, Lord Baltimore founded Maryland proprietary and was succeeded by his son Charles Calvert in 1676 (Blight 60). The colonial rule did not last, as soon as the people revolted, leading to the formation of the continental congress. The first constitution of the United States, commonly referred to as the articles of confederation, marked the start of self-government following the existence of British colonialists. This paper aims to conceptualize the development and creation of the US government based on its historical foundations, civic foundations, articles of confederation, and constitutional convention.
Historical Foundation
Lord Baltimore was a convert to Romanism and a friend of both James 1 and Charles 1. Despite challenges such as rising protests from Virginia, the colony thrived, and there were representative assemblies in different states. However, after the outbreak of civil war in England, there were disturbances in Maryland. William and Mary passed the 1692 charter, which declared that there would be no levying of taxes without the court’s consent (Blight 67). The Revolutionary War later broke out, leading to independence, allowing the founding fathers to start drafting the constitution in 1787 (Blight 86). The set of laws helped in establishing self-governance.
Although the process was independent, several countries influenced the constitutional draft. Noteworthy, the country had just regained its independence from the United Kingdom, and they, therefore, copied much from the framing of an English parliament. The founding fathers would conquer the Athenian empire and Roman Republic had significant influence on shaping Europe. The implication is that much ad the ancient Greek and Roman civilization ended many years before the American birth, some of their philosophies and political ideals were preserved in papers and later used in forming the constitution.
Civic Foundation
All states were expected to appoint delegates who would represent their wishes during the convention. The selected leaders had differing opinions, as influenced by their colonial history. Particularly, the two major ideals of the founding fathers were federalism and anti-federalism. The Philadelphia convention was called on February 21, 1787, where there were considerable debates by the opponents and friends of the constitution (Farris 88). The antifederalist argued that there was no person authorized to appoint a government that was not federal. Conversely, the federalists wanted the constitution to be adopted and establish a strong union.
One of the antifederalists was James Madison from Virginia, who advocated for a strong government. Madison’s stance was influenced by the colonial experience, given that after his graduation, he researched the relationship between Britain and the American colonies, which promoted taxation. The other lead antifederalists were John Lansing Junior and George Mason, who even refused to sign the constitution (Farris 81). Thus, they argued based on the colonial analogy for a system with a strong and united government. Conversely, William Paterson who was a federalist from New Jersey, which was governed as a royal colony. In addition, some of the states had black slaves, which led to contention on how they will receive representation. Most of the delegates that wanted federalism were from such colonies, which had lots of resources and a fertile land.
Article Confederation
The political ambitions and precarious circumstances of the revolutionary war required the efforts of states and interstate. On May 19, 1776, the constitutional congress recommended that all the assemblies and conventions should adopt a good government for America (Green 22). The recommendation was after the decline in the functionality of the British Empire. The continental congress decided that the reforms should consider united colonies specific benefits and the general good to America. In turn, a new provisional government was endorsed to enhance political support and, on May 15, wrote preambles for its establishment (Green 23). Thus, it was possible to resist the hostile invasion and depredations of British officials.
Arguably, the adoption of the articles of confederation was the most crucial event in the formation of the United States government. The original thirteen states that depended on British colonial government gained their independence after the 1776 declaration of independence (Farris 112). In 1781, the articles of confederation were signed along with several unequivocally legislative powers delegated to the national government (Mortenson 306). The national government had all the three powers of legislation by promulgating instructions, judicial by resolving disputes, and executive, through governance. However, from 1777 to 1781, conflict emerged between Maryland and Virginia because the latter did not approve of the articles of confederation (Green 32). Virginia, the largest colony, claimed that each state should retain the colonies it held in the colonial period. The conflicts are part of the reason that some people, lawyers, and leaders hold that the constitution was illegally adopted through the convention.
Constitutional Convention
The articles of confederation did not have any provisions for holding the convention for amending the document. However, on November 30, 1785, the house of delegates from Virginia gave approval to James Madison’s request to expand congressional authority in regulating commerce (Farris 68). The result was the holding of the Annapolis meeting, where the first proposal for amending the convention was discussed. The deliberation of the articles was highly contested after William Jackson delivered the constitution at the Confederation Congress. The speakers argued that the constitution should be presented to people through the convention process as indicated in Article VII and the resolution for ratification transition. Debate emerged with one part arguing against the constitution while the other stating that there was no need for article by article review because it will be double work. The great compromise in Connecticut created a house of legislature and senate with equal representation across all states (Farris 113). The agreement was that the process was thorough and trustworthy, but there was still a need to discuss the substance of the constitution.
Ratification was necessary to satisfy the quest of those who argued that some of the articles of the confederation were weak. The primary issue was that it failed to specify how the states would achieve equitable representation and address the power of the national government. The decision established an electoral college comprising each state representative to elect the vice president and president (Green 12). In addition, there was an agreement to count enslaved people as equal to three-fifths of the white people (Blight 352). The constitutional ratification was achieved through compromises, but the constitution continued to have contentious issues such as separation of power.
In summary, the United States gained its independence from the British Colonies after the Revolutionary War. The success of self-governance came with challenges, as there was a need to develop a constitution that would control the establishment of the nation. The founding fathers took the British set of laws influenced by the Greek and Roman empires as the basis for creating a new constitution. However, arguments emerged between federalists and antifederalists, leading to a convention. Some articles were still considered weak and agreed to compromise by establishing an electoral college and making a compromise on representation. Thus, the constitution was adopted and signed to govern the country.
Works Cited
Blight, David W. A People and a Nation: A History of the United States. Wadsworth, 2018.
Farris, Michael. “Defying Conventional Wisdom: The Constitution Was Not the Product of a Runaway Convention.” Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, vol. 40, no. 1, 2017, pp. 61-146.
Green, Craig. “United/States: A Revolutionary History of American Statehood.” Michigan Law Review, vol. 119, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1-69,1A.
Mortenson, Julian D., and Nicholas Bagley. “Delegation at the Founding.” Columbia Law Review, vol. 121, no. 2, 2021, pp. 277-367.
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